Storage container for recorded media

ABSTRACT

A storage container for holding an item of recorded media includes a base; an outer wall extending upwardly from the base, the outer wall having an upper surface adapted to receive the lower surface of item adjacent the outer diameter of item. The storage container also includes a retaining hub that extends upwardly from the base. The retaining hub includes a plurality of hinged arms and fixed supports. A retaining lip is carried by the hinged arms. The retaining lip engages the upper surface of the item in a storage position and is moveable inwardly and downwardly to release item. Retaining lip also engages the lower surface of item to lift item from the storage container. The fixed supports include an upper surface that remains in position during the removal of item to provide support to item to substantially prevent bending forces from damaging item.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/282,484 filed, Mar. 31, 1999 U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,384, which claimedpriority from provisional application Serial No. 60/080,363, filed Apr.1, 1998. The disclosures of application Ser. No. 09/282,484 areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

This invention relates generally to storage containers for recordedmedia and, more particularly, to a storage container having a centrallydisposed retaining hub for engaging and selectively retaining an item ofrecorded media. Specifically, the present invention is directed to astorage container for recorded media employing a retaining hub thatreleasably secures an item of recorded media such as a DVD whilesubstantially protecting the stored item from bending stresses createdduring loading, storage, and removal of the item from the storagecontainer

2. Background Information

Compact discs have become immensely popular in the past 15 years andhave supplanted records and tapes as the dominant form of recordedmusic. Over this time, numerous storage containers have been developedto hold the discs during shipping, display for sale, and subsequent homestorage of the discs. Most of these storage containers utilize some typeof center hub that engages the center hole of the disc to hold the discin place in the storage container.

In the recent past, digital versatile discs (DVDs) have been developedthat hold more data than a compact disc. Given their large storagecapacity, DVDs may be used to hold feature length films as well asmusic. It is also contemplated that the DVDs may be used to hold data ina computer readable form. One problem with the DVD is that it currentlytrades durability for its increased storage space. It has been foundthat a DVD may be damaged by the forces that are commonly used to removecompact discs from their storage containers, to hold the compact discsin the storage containers, and to store the compact discs in thecontainers. Thus, a potential problem has been created in that it isbelieved that the vast number of consumers will treat a DVD like a CDbecause of the similarities in the products and will damage the DVD bydoing things that do not harm a CD. It is thus desired in the art toprovide a DVD storage container that prevents a consumer from damaging aDVD by improperly removing a DVD from the container.

One of the chief areas of concern with a DVD storage container is thebending forces created in the DVD by the container or removal of the DVDfrom the container. Although compact discs are relatively insensitive tobending stresses, DVDs are sensitive to such bending forces and may loseinformation or become unusable because of such bending forces. Bendingforces may occur during removal of the DVD from the storage container,loading the DVD into the storage container, or storage of the DVD in thecontainer. The industry has thus moved in a direction that requires DVDstorage containers to securely retain a DVD during a drop test withoutcreating a constant bending force on the DVD during storage or allowinga bending force to be placed on the DVD during installation or removalof the DVD from the storage container.

Although a DVD is approximately the same size, weight, and dimensions asa compact disc, the storage containers used for compact discs aregenerally unsuitable for providing a DVD storage container thateliminates bending forces. Most CD storage containers are unsuitable forDVDs because they include center hubs that radially and resilientlyengage the center hole of a compact disc to retain the compact disc inthe storage container. It has been recently determined that such radialengagement creates a constant force on a DVD that eventually warps theDVD rendering it imperfect or unuseable. Other compact disc storagecontainers allow a person to grasp the outer edge of a compact disc andpull upwardly causing the disc to disengage the center hub. This actioncreates a significant amount of bending force in the body of the compactdisc. As compact discs are less sensitive to such bending force, thisaction does not substantially harm a compact disc while it may break aDVD or otherwise render it unuseable.

One device that holds a CD in a manner that reduces the large bendingforces experienced by the CD during removal of the CD from the storagecontainer is disclosed in German reference DE 3425579. This deviceretains the CD with a central hub having a lip. A plurality of springmembers are disposed about the central hub and are configured toresiliently engage the bottom surface of the CD when it is stored in thecontainer. The CD is thus trapped between the spring members and the lipduring storage. The CD is released by depressing the center button whichcollapses into the center hole of the CD. Once the lip of the hub ismoved inwardly, the spring members pop the CD up to a position where itmay be removed from the storage container.

Unfortunately, the spring members create a constant force on the bottomof the CD which creates a small constant bending force in the CD.Although this force is not large enough to damage a CD overtime, it islarge enough to slightly warp a DVD when the DVD is stored over longperiods of time. This slight warp may render the DVD unusable.

Other embodiments of a storage device disclosed in the German patentutilize lever arms that lift the CD or DVD off of the retaining hub whenthe center button is depressed. Although these lifting arms areeffective for lifting the CD or DVD off of the hub, the center hub doesnot release the item of recorded media without creating bending forces.These embodiments are also more difficult to manufacture thanembodiments without lifting arms.

Another device that may be used to hold an item of recorded media suchas a compact disc is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,427. The device inthis patent allows a compact disc to be removed from the storagecontainer through the engagement of a ridge with the inner wall thatforms the central opening of the CD. In the storage position, the ridgerests on the top surface of the CD. When a person removes the CD fromthe container, the ridge is forced along the inner wall creating abending force in the CD. The specification describes that the force issignificant enough that there is a slight clicking action as the ridgepasses below the lower surface of the disc and grasps the disc. Thisdevice also captures the interior wall of the central opening in the CDwhile the CD is being removed from the holder. Such capturing creates anundesirable radially outward bending force in the CD or DVD while it isbeing removed from the holder.

In view of the damage created by the slight bending forces, the DVDindustry has moved in the direction of requiring DVD storage containersto hold the DVDs without imparting any bending forces on the DVD. Onemanner of indicating that no bending forces are imparted on the DVD isby allowing the DVD to freely rotate while in the storage position. Thedevices described above do not allow the CD or DVD to freely rotatebecause the devices retain the CD or DVD with constant forces.

It is thus desirable to provide a storage container for recorded mediasuch as a DVD that securely retains the item of recorded media in thestorage container while not subjecting the item to significant bendingstresses that can damage the item.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, a primary objective of the present inventionis to provide a storage container for an item of recorded media such asa DVD.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a storagecontainer for an item of recorded media that securely retains the itemwhile not subjecting the item to bending forces during storage.

Yet another objective of the present invention is to provide a storagecontainer for an item of recorded media that allows the item of recordedmedia to be removed from the storage container without subjecting theitem to substantial bending forces.

Still another objective of the present invention is to provide a storagecontainer for an item of recorded media that prevents the improperremoval of the item of recorded media from the storage container.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a storagecontainer for an item of recorded media that drops completely below thelower surface of the item and lifts the item from the storage containerfrom below without engaging the inner wall that forms thecentrally-disposed hole in the item.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide a storagecontainer for an item of recorded media that allows the item of recordedmedia to be rotated within the storage container during storage.

Still a further objective of the present invention is to provide astorage container for an item of recorded media that includes acollapsible center hub that may be used to lift the item of recordedmedia from a storage position into a removal position withoutsignificantly stressing the item of recorded media.

Yet a further objective of the present invention is to provide a storagecontainer for an item of recorded media that includes a retaining hubhaving a plurality of fixed rigid supports that provide support to theitem of recorded media adjacent its center portion with the storagecontainer also having an annular outer ledge that provides support tothe item of recorded media adjacent its outer diameter.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a storagecontainer for an item of recorded media having rigid inner supports thatdo not engage the information-containing area of the item of recordedmedia.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a storagecontainer for an item of recorded media that does not allow the centralportion of the item of recorded media to be flexed downwardly duringinstallation or removal of the item.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a storagecontainer for an item of recorded media having a retaining hub that mustbe fully depressed and released prior to removing the item of recordedmedia from the storage container.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a storagecontainer for an item of recorded media having a plurality of raisedbumps that solely support the item of recorded media from below toreduce friction between the storage container and the item of recordedmedia allowing the item of recorded media to rotate or spin in thestorage container.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a storagecontainer for an item of recorded media that includes a centrallydisposed to projection that retains the position of the item of recordedmedia when it is in a released position so that the item of recordedmedia does not slip off of the storage container.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide a storagecontainer for an item of recorded media that is of simple construction,which achieves the stated objectives in a simple, effective, andinexpensive manner, and which solves the problems and satisfies theneeds existing in the art.

These and other objectives and advantages are obtained by the storagecontainer for an item of recorded media of the present invention, thegeneral nature of which may be stated as including the combination of adisc-shaped item of recorded media having an upper surface, a lowersurface, a thickness, an outer diameter, and a centrally-disposed,substantially circular opening; and a storage container for holding theitem of recorded media; the storage container having a base; a retaininghub extending upwardly from the base; the retaining hub having at leasta first fixed support and at least one retaining lip; at least one bumpextending up from the first fixed support; and the item of recordedmedia being disposed between the at least one bump and the at least oneretaining lip.

Other objectives and advantages of the present invention are achieved bya storage container for an item of recorded media having an uppersurface, a lower surface, a thickness, an outer diameter, and acentrally-disposed, substantially circular opening; the storagecontainer including a base; a retaining hub projecting up from the base;the retaining hub including at least three resilient arms cantileveredfrom the base and at least three fixed supports, one of the fixedsupports disposed between each pair of resilient arms; a retaining lipformed on each retaining arm, each retaining lip adapted to engage theupper surface of the item of recorded media; each of the three resilientarms being movable between first and second positions; each resilientarm adapted to support the lower surface of the item of recorded mediain the first position; each fixed support disposed at substantially thesame level as each resilient arm when the resilient arm is in the firstposition; and each resilient arm being disposed below each fixed supportwhen the resilient arm is in the second position.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention are achievedby a method for removing an item of recorded media from a storagecontainer; the item of recorded media having a centrally-disposed,substantially circular opening; the storage container having a retaininghub that includes a plurality of resilient arms and a plurality of fixedsupports; the resilient arms disposed in the opening of the item ofrecorded media to retain the item of recorded media on the retaininghub; the method including the steps of depressing the arms to releasethe item of recorded media; supporting the item of recorded mediaadjacent the opening with the fixed supports to prevent the center ofthe item of recorded media from deflecting when the arms are depressed;releasing the arms; lifting the item of recorded media off of the fixedsupports with the arms; and removing the lifted item of recorded mediafrom the arms.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a storagecontainer for an item of recorded media that includes a method forremoving an item of recorded media from a storage container; the item ofrecorded media having a centrally-disposed, substantially circularopening; the storage container having a retaining hub that includes aplurality of resilient arms connected by a center button; the resilientarms disposed in the opening of the item of recorded media to retain theitem of recorded media on the retaining hub; the method including thesteps of depressing the center button causing the arms to move radiallyinward and down; releasing the center button allowing the arms to liftthe item of recorded media.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiments of the invention, illustrative of the bestmode in which the applicant has contemplated applying the principles ofthe invention, are set forth in the following description and are shownin the drawings and are particularly and distinctly-pointed out and setforth in the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a storage container for an item of recordedmedia depicted in an open position;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2—2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the retaining hub encircled by the linelabeled FIG. 3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4—4 of FIG. 1 showing theretaining hub in a first position with the item of recorded mediaretained by the storage container;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4 depicting the retaining hubin a second position;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view similar to FIGS. 4 and 5 depicting theretaining hub back in the first position with the item of recorded mediabeing released by the storage container;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the portion of the retaining hub encircledin FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 5 with the hinged arms depressed belowthe lower surface of the base wall.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view depicting an alternative embodiment of thepresent invention.

Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

An embodiment of the storage container for an item of recorded mediamade in accordance with the concepts of the present invention isdepicted in the accompanying drawings and is indicated generally by thenumeral 10. Storage container 10 includes a base, indicated generally bythe numeral 12, that is hingedly attached to a lid 14. In the embodimentof the present invention depicted in the drawings, the hinged connectionbetween base 12 and lid 14 is formed by a back wall 16 and a pair ofcontinuous living hinges 18. Base 12 includes a side wall 20 thatextends about the three sides of base 12 not attached to living hinge18. Side wall 20 includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs 22 that serveto reinforce storage container 10 and may also be used to frictionallyengage corresponding reinforcing ribs 24 that are carried by lid 14 anda lid side wall 26. Container 10 may be fabricated from any of a widevariety of materials but it is preferred that it be fabricated from aplastic strong enough to resist breaking when dropped during a droptest.

As may be seen in FIG. 2, an item of recorded media 30 may be securelyretained by storage container 10 through the engagement of a retaininghub 32 with item 30. Item 30 may be a DVD but it is to be understoodthat container 10 may be used to store other items 30 such as compactdiscs containing music or computer readable data. As will be describedin detail below, retaining hub 32 securely retains items 30 in storagecontainer 10 without creating bending forces in item 30 during loadingof item 30 onto retaining hub 32, during storage of item 30 in container10 as depicted in FIG. 2, or during removal of item 30 from storage case10. By providing such functions without creating bending forces in item30, storage container 10 achieves one of the primary objectives of thepresent invention. Although container 10 depicted in FIG. 1 onlyincludes a single retaining hub 32, it is to be understood that multipleretaining hubs 32 may be provided in similar containers to hold multipleitems 30.

Base 12 includes a substantially planar base wall 40 that extendsbetween retaining hub 32 and sidewall 20 of base 12. An annular outerwall 42 extends upwardly from base wall 40 below the outer edge of item30. As may be perhaps best seen in FIG. 1, annular outer wall 42 extendsentirely about the area where item 30 is received and is substantiallycircular in shape. Annular outer wall 42 has an upper surface 44 uponwhich the lower surface 46 of item 30 rests when item 30 is in thestorage position depicted in FIGS. 2 and 4. Annular outer wall 42 issized and configured such that the contact between upper surface 44 andlower surface 46 does not extend into the area of item 30 that includesrecorded information. A chamfer 43 may be provided to create a smoothtransition between surface 44 and the sidewall of wall 42. Annular outerwall 42 prevents the outer portion of item 30 from being moved lowerthan upper surface 44.

Another embodiment of the invention is depicted in FIG. 9 with analternative outer wall 42. Outer wall 42 of this embodiment includes aplurality of bumps 41 that extend upwardly from surface 44 such thatitem 30 is only supported on bumps 41. This arrangement reduces frictionbetween item 30 and wall 42. This embodiment functions substantiallysimilarly to the embodiment described in detail below with the exceptionthat the upper surface of bumps 41 is on the same plane as the uppersurface of bumps 95.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a blockingwall 48 extends upwardly from upper surface 44 of outer wall 42 radiallyoutside the outer radial dimension of item 30. Blocking wall 48 ispositioned such that it does not contact item 30 when item 30 isretaining by hub 32. Blocking wall 48 has a height that is greater thanthe thickness of item 30 as indicated by the dimension line labeled withnumeral 49 such that a person cannot grasp the edge of item 30 when item30 is in the storage position depicted in FIGS. 2 and 4. There are,however, two finger holes 50 formed in base 12 where the height ofblocking wall 48 is reduced. Although finger holes 50 are not intendedto allow a person to grasp the edge of item 30, finger holes 50 allow aperson to more easily grasp item 30 when it is in the released positiondepicted in FIG. 6. Blocking wall 48 achieves one of the objectives ofthe present invention by preventing a person from grasping an edge ofitem 30 and pulling upwardly. Such a practice is common when removing acompact disc from a compact disc storage container. If performed on aDVD held in storage container 10, retaining hub 32 would maintain itsengagement with the DVD and the upward force at its edge would likelybreak or otherwise damage the DVD by creating a large bending force. Itmay thus be understood that annular outer wall 42 and blocking wall 48prevent the removal of item 30 without first removing item 30 fromretaining hub 32.

As noted above, storage container 10 includes retaining hub 32 thatextends upwardly from base wall 40. Retaining hub 32 is configured toretain item 30 until it is subjected to a downward force which issubsequently released. The downward force causes hub 32 to collapseinwardly and downwardly to completely release item 30. When the force isremoved, hub 32 contacts the bottom of item 30 and lifts it into theposition depicted in FIG. 6 where it may be removed. Retaining hub 32 isalso configured to retain item 30 in a manner such that it may freelyrotate on hub 32 in the storage condition depicted in FIG. 4.

Retaining hub 32 includes a center button 60 that is substantiallycircular and includes a downwardly extending, circumferential,substantially cylindrical 20 side wall 62 that has an upper end 64 and alower end 66. Center button 60 preferably is domed to extend upwardly toprovide an easy target for a person using storage case 10. A pluralityof hinged arms, each indicated generally by the numeral 70, moveablysupport center button 60 a distance above the plane of base wall 40.Arms 70 and button 60 thus form a continuous element from one side ofhub 32 to another. It may thus be understood that a cavity 72 is formedbelow hinged arms 70 and hub 32. Cavity 72 provides space that allowsretaining hub 32 to be moved between the storage position depicted inFIG. 4 and the collapsed position depicted in FIG. 5.

Each of hinged arms 70 extends upwardly from base wall 40 to engage item30 and support center button 60. Each hinged arm 70 includes a first armsection 80 having a first end 82 and a second end 84. First end 82 offirst arm section 80 is connected to base wall 40 by a first hinge 86.Hinge 86 may be in the form of a living hinge as depicted in thedrawings. A hinge 86 is provided with a scalloped portion 87 thatdecreases the thickness of hinge 86 allowing it to flex or bend moreeasily. Second end 84 of first arm section 80 is attached to a first end88 of a second arm section 90 by a second hinge 92. Second hinge 92 mayalso be a living hinge. Second arm section 90 may be substantiallyparallel to base wall 40 when retaining hub 32 is the first positiondepicted in FIGS. 4 and 6. Second arm section 90 includes an uppersurface 94 that is slightly below upper surface 44 of annular outer wall42 but is substantially parallel to upper surface 44 and lower surface46 of item 30. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, uppersurface 94 is approximately 0.02 inches below the plane of upper surface44 and lower surface 46 of item 30. A bump 95 projects upwardly fromeach upper surface 94 to a level substantially equal to the level ofupper surface 44 of outer wall 42 to engage lower surface 46 of item 30.First arm section 80 is angled upwardly from base wall 40 and second armsection 90 is sized such that bump 95 of second arm section 90 does notcontact the area of recorded information on lower surface 46 of item 30.Bumps 95 minimize the contact between item 30 and arm 70 allowing item30 to spin on hub 32 with little friction.

Second arm section 90 has a second end 96 that is connected to a firstend 98 of a third arm section 100 by a third hinge 102. Second end 96 ofsecond arm section 90 is cut out with an opening 103 that substantiallydecreases the thickness of third hinge 102 to allow it to flex moreeasily. Opening 103 also increases the manufacturability of hub 32 anddecreases the amount of material used to fabricate hub 32. Thus, thirdhinge 102 is a pair of relatively thin hinges that connect second armsection 90 to third arm section 100 on either side of opening 103 asseen in FIG. 3. Third hinge 102 may also be a living hinge. Third armsection 100 includes an outer surface 104 that has a radius of curvaturethat is less than the radius of curvature of inner wall 106 of item ofrecorded media 30. Thus, it may be understood that item 30 is notradially resiliently engaged by arms 70 to retain item 30 on hub 32. Asmay be perhaps best seen in FIG. 2, outer surfaces 104 of arms 70cooperate to form a substantially continuous cylindrical wall 160 thatis disposed within the centrally-disposed hole 162 of item 30. Wall 160is only broken by a plurality of slots 164 that separate third armssections 100 from each other. Each slot 164 branches out at the bottomof third arm sections 100 to form two secondary slots 166 that definethe widths of hinged arms 70. Secondary slots 166 are disposed such thateach first arm section 80 and each second arm section 90 has asubstantially constant overall width.

Third arm section 100 is substantially normal to base wall 40 in thefirst position depicted in FIGS. 4 and 6. A retaining lip 110 is carriedby third arm section 100 at the second end 112 of third arm section 100.Retaining lip 110 is adapted to engage at least a portion of the uppersurface 114 of item 30 to retain item 30 on retaining hub 32 even whencontainer 10 is turned upside down or subjected to impact forces.

Second end 112 of third arm section 100 is attached to a first end 120of a fourth arm section 122 by a fourth hinge 124. Fourth hinge 124 mayalso be a living hinge. Second end 112 of third arm section 100 projectsupwardly through projection 125 to provide a retaining device to hub 32that maintains the position of item 30 when item 30 is in the releasedposition sitting on the upper surface of retaining lip 110. Projections125 are disposed inwardly of retaining lip 110 such that their outersurfaces have a radius no greater than outer surfaces 104 of arms 70.Second end 126 of fourth arm section 122 is connected to lower end 66 ofside wall 62 by a fifth hinge 128. Fifth hinge 128 may also be a livinghinge and is substantially thinner than the other hinges as shown in thedrawings. The thinness of first hinge 86 and fifth hinge 128 allows themto bend much more easily than the other hinges 92, 102, and 124 when hub32 is subjected to a downward force.

Retaining hub 32 also includes a plurality of fixed supports 140disposed between hinged arms 70 in accordance with another aspect of thepresent invention. Each fixed support 140 is separated from hinged arms70 by secondary slots 166. Each fixed support 140 includes a firstsupport section 142 that extends upwardly from base wall 40 atsubstantially the same angle as first arm section 80. First supportsection 142 includes a first end 144 attached to base wall 40 and asecond end 146 attached to a first end 148 of a second support section150. Second support section 150 is disposed substantially parallel tobase wall 40 and includes an upper surface 152. Fixed supports 140 aresized such that upper surface 152 of each second support section 150 issubstantially coplanar with upper surface 94 of second arm section 90.As discussed above with respect to hinged arms 70, each second supportsection 150 is sized and shaped so that it does not engage item 30 in anarea containing recorded information.

Each second support section 150 includes one bump 95 that issubstantially similar to bumps 95 on arms 70. Bumps 95 on second supportsection 150 provide constant support adjacent the center of item 30 sothat item 30 is not damaged during removal of item 30 from hub 32. Bumps95 on second support section 150 prevent the center of item 30 frombeing deflected downwardly. Gussets 154 are provided beneath each fixedsupport to provide additional support if needed.

Each fixed support 140 is non-moveable and remains in position whenhinged arms 70 function to release item 30 by collapsing inwardly anddownwardly. By remaining in position, fixed supports 140 provide supportto item 30 adjacent its center once bumps 95 on arms 70 are lowered.

An item 30 of recorded media is depicted in FIG. 4 in the storageposition with retaining hub 32 in the first position. While in thestorage position, item 30 may not be removed from storage container 10without either depressing retaining hub 32 or significantly damagingitem 30 or container 10. Item 30 is supported from below by uppersurface 44 of outer wall 42 and bumps 95 of arms 70. Item 30 issupported from above by retaining lip 110. Item 30 is not, however,supported in any way through engagement of outer surfaces 104 of thirdarm sections 100 with item 30. As such, there is no radial resilientforce between outer wall 104 of third arm section 100 and item 30.

When a person wants to remove item 30 from storage container 10, theperson creates a downward force on center button 60 causing hinged arms70 to collapse inwardly and downwardly causing lip 110 to disengageupper surface 114 of item 30. This also causes bumps 95 on arms 70 tomove downwardly and disengage item 30 leaving item 30 to be supported bybumps 95 on second support sections 150.

As may be seen in FIG. 5, the downward force causes fifth hinge 128 toclose drawing retaining lip 110 radially inwardly. The downward forcealso causes first hinge 86, second hinge 92, and third hinge 102 to openallowing center button to move down drawing retaining lip 110 down withit. The person removing item 30 continues to apply the downward forceuntil retaining lip 110 is below lower surface 46 of item 30. As shownin FIG. 5, second arm section 90 is angularly disposed with respect tothe plane of base wall 40 at this time. Third arm section 100 is alsopulled inwardly at an angle and is no longer normal to the plane of basewall 40. Furthermore, first arm section 80 has been moved downwardly andis no longer disposed at the same angle as first support section 142.

The person removing item 30 then releases the downward force on centerbutton 60 allowing retaining lip 110 to contact lower surface 46. Hub 32is configured to not capture the inner edge of the center hole of item30. Such action creates a warping force in item 30 as arms 70 pressradially outwardly on item 30 from inside its center opening. Arms 70are thus designed to engage the bottom surface 46 of item 30 and liftitem 30 vertically upwardly with no warping forces. As hinged arms 70return to the first position of retaining hub 32, lip 110 lifts item 30off of upper surface 44 of annular outer wall 42 and bumps 95 of fixedsupports 140 allowing the person to grasp the outer edge 170 of item 30and remove it from storage container 10. Item 30 is retained byprojections 125 prior to removal by the person.

Hub 32 is also configured to retain item 30 on projections 125 even whenitem 30 is loosely retained as shown in FIG. 6. A right-handed personwill typically hold storage container 10 in the left hand while pushingcenter button 60 with a finger of the right hand. In this position,hinges 18 are usually in the left palm and one of arms 70 is disposedstraight up, parallel to hinges 18, so that item 30 does not readilyfall off if container 10 is tilted.

It may thus be understood that no bending forces are experienced by item30 during removal of item 30 from storage container 10. Bending forcesare prevented because item 30 is supported during the collapse of arms70 about its radial outer edge and its radial inner edge by uppersurface 44 and bumps 95. Upper surface 44 and bumps 95 also preventdamaging bending forces when item 30 is replaced onto retaining hub 32.Item 30 is replaced by aligning its center hole with retaining lip 110and providing a downward force on item 30. The downward force causesretaining lip 110 to move downwardly and inwardly allowing item 30 tocontact bumps 95. When such contact is made, the downward force isremoved and retaining lip 110 is moved back to the storage position byhinged arms 70 where it engages upper surface 114 of item 30.

Hub 32 is also configured such that arms 70 may pass below the lowersurface 156 of wall 40 as shown in FIG. 8. Arms 70 may pass below lowersurface 156 because no rigid surfaces are disposed below cavity 72. Onlya card 158 containing information and a clear, flexible layer 160 aredisposed below cavity 72. Layer 160 is loose enough to allow arms 70 tomove card 158 out of the way such that arms 70 may fully collapse. Thisprovides extra room for arms 70 to collapse during removal of item 30for container 10.

Accordingly, the improved storage container for recorded media issimplified, provides an effective, safe, inexpensive, and efficientdevice which achieves all the enumerated objectives, provides foreliminating difficulties encountered with prior devices, and solvesproblems and obtains new results in the art.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness, and understanding; but no unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art, because suchterms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadlyconstrued.

Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is by way ofexample, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the exactdetails shown or described.

Having now described the features, discoveries, and principles of theinvention, the manner in which the storage container for recorded mediais constructed and used, the characteristics of the construction, andthe advantageous new and useful results obtained; the new and usefulstructures, devices, elements, arrangements, parts, and combinations areset forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A storage container for storing a disc-shapeditem of recorded media; the disc-shaped item of recorded media having anupper surface, a lower surface, a thickness, an outer diameter, and acentrally-disposed opening; the storage container comprising: a base; aretaining hub extending upwardly from the base; the retaining hub havingat least one bump adapted to engage the lower surface of the disc-shapeditem of recorded media; the bump adapted to minimize the frictionbetween the hub and the disc-shaped item of recorded media; theretaining hub having at least one retaining lip adapted to engage theupper surface of the disc-shaped item of recorded media; the retaininglip adapted to hold the disc-shaped item of recorded media on the hub;the bump not extending around the retaining lip; and the bump beingdome-shaped.
 2. A storage container for storing a disc-shaped item ofrecorded media; the disc-shaped item of recorded media having an uppersurface, a lower surface, a thickness, an outer diameter, and acentrally-disposed opening; the storage container comprising: a base; aretaining hub extending upwardly from the base; the retaining hub havingat least one bump adapted to engage the lower surface of the disc-shapeditem of recorded media; the bump adapted to minimize the frictionbetween the hub and the disc-shaped item of recorded media; and theretaining hub having at least one retaining lip adapted to engage theupper surface of the disc-shaped item of recorded media; the retaininglip adapted to hold the disc-shaped item of recorded media on the hub;an outer wall disposed radially outwardly of the hub; the outer wallincluding a support surface; and the outer wall including at least onebump projecting upwardly from the support surface of the outer wall. 3.A storage container for an item of recorded media having an uppersurface, a lower surface, a thickness, an outer diameter, and acentrally-disposed opening; the storage container comprising: a base; aretaining hub projecting up from the base; the retaining hub includingat least two resilient arms cantilevered from the base and at least twofixed supports; the fixed supports and the resilient arms beingalternating about the retaining hub; a retaining lip formed on eachretaining arm, each retaining lip adapted to engage the upper surface ofthe item of recorded media; each of the resilient arms being movablebetween first and second positions; and each resilient arm having aportion adapted to be depressed through the opening of the item ofrecorded media while the item of recorded media is supported by thefixed supports.
 4. The storage container of claim 3, wherein the fixedsupports are adapted to prevent the center of the disc-shaped item ofrecorded media from being depressed with the resilient arms.
 5. Thestorage container of claim 3, wherein the hub is free of biased liftingmembers.
 6. The storage container of claim 3, wherein the hub is free oflifting members that move upwardly while the resilient arms aredepressed.
 7. The storage container of claim 3, wherein the hub includesthree resilient arms.
 8. The storage container of claim 7, wherein thehub includes three fixed supports.
 9. The storage container of claim 3,wherein each resilient arm is movable between resting and depressedpositions; at least a portion of the arm being disposed below the basewhen the arm is in the depressed position.
 10. The storage container ofclaim 3, further comprising a center button connected to each of theresilient arms.
 11. The storage container of claim 10, wherein each ofthe resilient arms includes a plurality of arm sections connected byhinges.